Swapping One Chaos for Another
by Shurpuff
Summary: In a different world, where shitty devs made a space-sim over an RPG, events continue as they were destined, though Nazarick ends up in a vast unknown galaxy where war brews in the void. Here, Nazarick must match wits against one they think to be another Player, who intends to lead his Great Crusade across the stars. For Chaos is inevitable, no matter what form it now takes...


Imagine the endless void of space before you. You, an explorer on a spaceship, leading a fleet of explorers to sail the stars.

Then, before you emerges a peculiar shape. Your ship's systems scramble to identify. But there's no need. You can see it clearly on the viewpoint.

It's a massive humanoid skull, its sheer size dwarfing the super giant near you. A pair of captured stars burn in its eye-sockets. It opens its jaws; and inside is a hole so black it immediately warps space and time around it; light and energy from the giant beginning to be sucked inside. Your ship struggled under the strain, and immediately activated emergency thrusters in order to avoid the inexorable draw.

Any normal person would go mad from just seeing this apparition. It was the stuff of nightmares. In time, your thrusters would fail and you will fall, screaming, into the abyss. But you are determined to slay this creature.

Also, you're not a normal person.

And also, you have friends!

At your request, dozens of other fleets materialize beside you. After a mutual command, you and your brethren charge, each firing a barrage of weaponry at the monster; your combined firepower lighting up this part of the galaxy brighter than a supernova. And it wasn't all just conventional weaponry. Sorcerer-admirals use their magics to confound and blast the thing, star-blessed beings channel their wills from their bridges to protect you from the monster's gravitic aura, while a smaller fleet, equipped with deadly void-warping technology, charges in perilously close to the creature and delivers terrible blows. The creature's twin fires blaze, and a beam of cosmic energy lashes your formation-but you charge in just in time, your ship's impressive energy shields deflecting the blast.

The beast was outnumbered; it can do nothing but retreat back into interstellar space, into the void between stars. Your group cheered.

This encounter was heart-pounding; but also quite satisfying.

You thought to yourself, a _h, what a good game._

Yes. It's just a game.

2138 A.D. The DMMOSS, or [Dive Massively Multiplayer Online Space Simulator] was a booming genre in Japan. And none more famous was that of [Legend of Ouroboros], or [LoO] for the players. It connected a player, by means of a nano-interface technology, to the game, letting them take the role of a captain of a ship on a galaxy ripe with possibilities.

The game was touted to have infinite possibilities. This was apparent from the start, where players could choose to either be a captain of an exploring ship, being able to choose absolutely anything with regards to appearance of captain, crew, and ship; or one could be a space entity: gigantic, space-faring, star-eating, monstrous, grotesque.

Could one be the admiral of a fleet of Gundams? Yes. They could even be anthropomorphic, like in the old Kantai Collection fad.

Could one be a living planet, feeding parasite-like off other planets? Also yes. But you couldn't have "space-ship girls" under your command; you were all alone.

In terms of power and capabilities, the two paths were equal: players could go out to the world, defeat native space federations or empires, then take over their ships to create a fleet, take over planets, whole star systems, whole sectors (even a whole galaxy if one was capable), and continuously explore the unknown. Monsters could do the same, but could not create a fleet-rather they "grew" in power like in an RPG, adding many upgrades to their abilities and appearances. They also did not need have conventional currency and could not trade for or use "Credits"-they had a system of "Worship" provided from subjugating planets, or from other players, which they in turn used to buy things.

It was this apparent freedom of choice that lured players in and hooked them. [LoO] reached a level of acclaim unrivaled, both in Japan and outside.

-But that was the past. Now, the game is about to be closed down for good.

In a dimension carved from a wound in spacetime, where everything was an ever-changing realm of colors and shapes, two monstrous shapes lurked.

One was a gigantic skull, chrome-colored, two stars burning in its eye-sockets. It hovered near a chain of small planets around it, which, to a human observer seemed like a sort of chair for the thing. In fact, it was a chair, designated so by this player.

Sitting on another chain of planets was a mass of black, amorphous. It grew limbs like a human would, using it to gesture and point.

According to the game systems, the first one was a doomsday weapon forged by an ancient race, which now sought to repeat its prime directive and extinguish all the stars. The second was supposed to be some sort of grey goo, a large group of ravenous, planet-processing nanomachines having awoken a unified, sentient consciousness.

Both of these fellows were players, obviously.

"...Has it really been a long time, Momonga-san?" asked the black mass. "Two years... it just seemed like yesterday that I said I was taking a break-boy, time sure flies, huh? I'm sorry if I haven't been on."

"Ah, that's alright, Herohero-san," said the skull. If it could wave a hand in assurance it could, it settled for making a smiling emoticon. "I'm sure your work was hard."

"It sure is," said Herohero. "And it still is. Ahhh, I'd want to tell you all about it, but there's that rule..."

"No, that's alright..."

The goo looked around. "Still, you kept this place up and running by yourself, huh? That's impressive Momonga-san. You're real devoted to the guild, huh?"

"No, even that's a bit-"

Herohero laughed. "Everyone should be real happy if they saw you kept the [Crawling Chaos of Nazarick] alive all this time. So, don't be shy, Momonga-san."

"Haah... thanks, Herohero-san." Momonga made the appropriate "bowing" emoticon.

"Though unfortunately, I don't think I can last for much longer. I'm really sorry, Momonga-san, but I'm dead tired from today, and I still have to wake up early tomorrow..."

"No, that's alright," Momonga said hurriedly. "Real life's the priority; I can completely understand, Herohero-san. Even having you here was more than I could have hoped for."

"Yeah, I'd have loved to stay until midnight..." An interface appeared in front of the goo. "But, for what it's worth, it was fun, Momonga-san. It was really fun taking over the whole galaxy with just us. The Forty-One monsters against the universe..."

"Yeah." Momonga smiled, though it didn't show in his avatar.

"If there's ever a part two, maybe we'll see each other then," said Herohero.

"...Yeah."

"Let's meet again in a better place."

 _Stay. Please_. He wanted to say. But before he could even muster up the courage, Herohero's form had disappeared.

Now, he was alone.

"Meet again in a better place, huh...?" he whispered.

The twin suns in his eyes blazed; and he shook his head violently, upsetting the planets beneath him.

"-Don't joke with me!"

The planets returned to their places.

"This is the Crawling Chaos of Nazarick, that we, [Ainz Ooal Gown] created together! How can everyone give it up so quickly?"

For much of the game's life, Momonga had been the guildmaster of [Ainz Ooal Gown], one of the few all-monster guilds in the game. And because of their exploits, their rank went up to the Number 8 among all guilds. They became infamous, especially in their skill for PKing unsuspecting player fleets and stealing their planets.

"But it's not like I can blame them..."

There were two rules to joining the guild: one had to be a fairly competent monster, and one also had to have a job. Throughout the course of the game, there were many of those who had to quit due to real life issues. Eventually, only Momonga and three others were left in the Guild itself-though the latter three only logged in intermittently. Herohero had not been online in close to two years.

Heaving a sigh, he turned to regard the swirling space around them. Because of the nature of this dimension, it was fairly "hands-off" in design, meaning the guildmembers could shape it however they saw fit. They could make "rooms" in the space, each reflecting familiar places from reality like the inside of a castle, or a hot spring resort. They could even create NPCs to fill these rooms, to keep up appearances.

But the "main area", the [Heart of Nazarick], was this place. Forty-one seats made of planets were arranged around the place, each intended to seat a member. In the Heart, they chatted away, planned their excursions to real space, or generally goofed off. And it was also here that the Guild's "essence", their very foundation, was found.

Momonga turned to regard it. It shone bright like a star, and held indescribable power. The [Immateria Paradox].

It had been Tabula Smaragdina who'd conceived of it, then others had designed it, and then the rest of the guild worked to forge it. Stars were absorbed enmasse, entire player fleets salvaged, millions of Worship accumulated, and extra-dimensional creatures were slain by the hundreds. Naturally, this also meant people missing work, or having conflicts with wives or girlfriends. All to secure the Guild's prestige. A symbol of all the sweat, blood and tears they'd poured into the creation of a bunch of pixels.

And now they weren't here anymore.

Momonga checked the system time. Only about six more minutes left until midnight, when the servers would be shut down for good. Not enough time to go out and do some last minute ravaging of an innocent star system.

But just enough time for-

He sent out the command. "[Gather NPC]."

The [Heart of Nazarick] shimmered, the planets disappearing from view. Then, humanoid shapes appeared in a flash of light, each standing in front of him like a bunch of soldiers ready to take command. These were the NPCs created by all his guildmates through the years, intended to flesh out their communal home. They were also made to protect Nazarick from enemy invasions, although after the Guild had become infamous enough, fewer of those occurred.

All of the NPCs had different shapes and sizes, all modeled after their creators' wishes. Each of course bore the template of the player races-the game didn't allow them to create monster minions like themselves for whatever reason. So they all were drawn from all possible alien forms, and given appropriate appearance modifications to make them seem "human", again according to his guildmates' "selfish" desires.

The Pleiades, for example, were a group of creatures envisioned to be the last line of defense. They were each of them monstrous things: for example, there was a broodmother who birthed a swarm of insectoid creatures. There was also a literal shoggoth. One thing unified them despite their innate forms: they all dressed like maids. It was hard to imagine seeing gigantic maids playing around with planets like a volleyball, but the decision was their creator's, and none could argue with that.

Even Momonga's close friend, Touch Me, had created a draconid alien and gave it the disguise of a venerable butler that also bore the player's real life face.

Of course, like their masters, all these minions easily dwarfed small planets, but since they could not enter realspace, they could not be used to attack. Which was a disappointment, according to some of his guildmembers, because there had already been "Super Robo" type player fleets who were as big as planets, and it would have been nice to have them attack their NPCs in a raucous parody of anime shows.

Momonga regarded the NPCs gathered before him and almost gave a sigh of disappointment. There were only three minutes left.

He grunted. "Let's have this then. Kneel."

At his command, all the NPCs kneeled. Then, he noticed one particular NPC, whom he found somewhat unfamiliar.

It looked like some sort of demon woman, with a beautiful face but with horns on her head and black feathered wings sprouting from her waist.

"Come here," he ordered, and the NPC dutifully rose, came up close to him, then kneeled. At her size, she was just as tall as Momonga's jawbone. He used the interface to examine her in detail.

"This is... 'Albedo', made by... Tabula-san? Hm. I never noticed." He felt ashamed of himself a bit. He'd been here for the longest, and yet he hadn't noticed this one NPC in the rooms. How shameful. "Let's see her settings-that's too long!"

Crying out in mock anger at his former guildmate in his heart, he scrolled down to the very last part of the NPC's story settings.

[Also she's a slut.]

"What."

A rumbling laugh filled him. The infamous Tabula-san and his gap moe. If he remembered correctly, there was also an NPC who was designated chief protector of the Infernal Orrery, where they kept the guild's knowledge of the galaxy. That NPC too had been created by Tabula, who had injected his own love for horror movies into the NPC. There was never a scene of a bunch of horrific monsters screaming in a high-pitched voice as when Tabula-san introduced the NPC to them.

"Ah, she's right over there too," Momonga muttered, his eyes spotting the NPC towards the back of the crowd. His attention returned to Albedo. "Calling her a slut's a bit too much... maybe-" He deleted the line on the settings, then wrote-"[Also, she loves Momonga]". Then, feeling more than a bit ashamed, he closed the settings and allowed the embarrassment to flow through him. A whole bunch of self-recrimination permeated through his body, particularly the feeling of tampering with a fellow guildmember's creation.

 _But, it's not like it matters anymore,_ Momonga thought to himself. He checked the time again. In just a minute and a half, all would end. Elsewhere, the remaining players might possibly be celebrating on their planets, perhaps supernovaing a system or two as celestial fireworks.

Momonga closed his eyes. It was the end of a long journey.

5.

4\. 3. 2.

1...

The feeling of disconnection never came. He opened his eyes.

"...What?"

"What's wrong, Momonga-sama?"

A surreal scene greeted his eyes. The surroundings flowed and writhed, seemingly even more animated than they had been in the game. It was like he was immersed in a sea of multi-coloured clouds, thick and raw and endless.

And the NPC whose setting he'd just changed, was looking right at him, with eyes filled with a certain amount of life.

* * *

"Investigate Nazarick!"

That had been Momonga's first command to the NPCs-who'd somehow become alive. At his command, they dutifully scattered, leaving Momonga alone in the Heart. Alone to sort out the sensation of actually being a million times larger than a human being; with no limbs to speak of, twin suns burning hotly in his eye-sockets, and the fact that he was a floating metallic skull trapped in a place that had seemingly gone mad around him.

In the first moments, he had had the closest NPC-Albedo touch him. To prove this was no dream, or any other reality that was equally horrible and unpleasant. Somehow the now-sentient piece of data had felt warm on his cold chrome jaw, and had even rubbed its surface in a strange manner. There was also something in that NPC's eyes-well, there was no point in that yet-he had panicked, as any human being, and had ordered them all to investigate.

 _Investigate what?_ He'd considered that, upon reflection, what was he supposed to hear? _That they were still in the game_? Impossible. The UI wasn't there, none of the functions worked.

"Momonga-sama," said the old butler, whom he vaguely recognized as Touch Me's NPC, but whose name he didn't know. "I and the Pleiades have completed our search. Nothing in the Hallowed Castle has been disturbed."

"... Excellent."

"All of the furnishings therein have been left untouched, and all of the maids and butlers are all accounted for."

"...Good."

 _No good, what was this guy's name again?_ He was spared having to ask when another NPC, blurring out of the cloud like an apparition, appeared. It was a white, hulking, insect-looking giant. If he recalled, it was assigned to the room where there were ninety-nine planets, each orbiting dead and frozen around a dim star. Its mandibles clacked. "Cocytus. Reports. The Entropian Question. Is Intact. All Ninety-Nine. Accounted for."

"Good work, Cocytus." He was thankful that this one offered its name.

"I. Am. Pleased. To. Be. Of Use. Milord."

"Reporting!" cried a young voice. Momonga turned his attention and saw Bukubukuchagama's beloved twins, a pair of dark-skinned "Larffin" creatures, who basically looked like elves. It was a point of frustration for Tabula and several other guild-mates, who'd contended that since they were basically just elves, even if they were "elves in space", they could just call them "Elves".

The first one was a dark Larffin in a male suit, the other, trailing behind, was clad in a schoolgirl's uniform. The tastes of their creator was apparent in the two; the first was a female, and the second male. Each were said to represent the classic life-death cycle, the former as progenitor and master of life, and the latter, life's steady ruin unto death; while they were themselves immortal and unchanging. Still, they looked much like little kids, and not the gods Chagama-san intended them to be.

And he forgot their names.

"My side of the Eternal Mansion is A-OK!" proclaimed the first one. Then, after a prolonged silence, the girl frowned and turned to her brother. "Come on, Mare, your report!"

"Ah... Ah-" The cross-dressing boy stepped forward. "M-my side has no problem, milord," said Mare. He peered up at Momonga with a mix of fear and awe.

Momonga inclined his head-though it was more like he was moving his entire body downward. _Mare... Mare... And Aura... yes! Of course! Aura and Mare! You were always so proud of them..._

His feelings of nostalgia were interrupted when another NPC returned. The clouds seemed to part as this one materialized-it was a devil in a suit. He adjusted the glasses on his face. "My sincerest pardons for being late. I am still unused to this new form the Chaos has taken. It is all so alien... and strange. It has made teleportation between rooms easier, but somehow it feels different from before."

The others murmured agreement, except for the butler, who said, "Demiurge. Your report?"

 _Was it just him, or had the one named Demiurge just frowned?_ But the devil then bowed, saying, "My deepest apologies for delaying, Momonga-sama. This one reports no changes to the Crucible. All of its subsections have been swept, and there have been no irregularities, nor any sign of intruders. However, if I may offer this slight addendum-it seems that some small fragments of the Chaos have leaked into the room. It is by no means disruptive-though I have my top minions investigating it as we speak. I beg leave for more time for the investigation to complete, noble master."

"I am in no hurry, Demiurge," said Momonga. He refrained from asking about what the "Chaos" was, was it referring to this whole place? Nazarick was known as the Crawling Chaos, so was he referring to that?

"I am humbled by your generosity, milord Momonga," said Demiurge, bowing even deeper. "Truly, your mercy is unrivalled."

"So it should be," said a woman's voice, reappearing in a blaze of multi-colored light-right before Momonga. "For is He not the most Supreme of Supremes? The one who is our rightful lord and master?" The one named Albedo smiled as she regarded Momonga, and did so in such a way that Momonga took a step back-well, he floated a few inches back.

"Ah!" Shouting, the woman withdrew a few steps and went to her knees. "My deepest apologies for being too forthright my dearest lord Momonga." She looked up, and it was perhaps a trick of the clouds, but she was somehow blushing. "After all, I only wished to selfishly be close to my one and only love..."

 _Wait, what?_

 _Oh._

 _Crap._

"N-never mind that... Albedo." He nervously shook off the feeling of guilt that threatened to overwhelm him. He had changed her settings. "The report?"

"Yes! The Greater Chaos is well, milord Momonga. There have been no changes to the flow of it, and there have been no irregularities whatsoever."

"None?" asked Demiurge. "Overseer, do you not know that certain portions of the Chaos have been flowing into the Crucible?"

"A leak?" Albedo said. "That is the first that I have heard. I shall send a message to the caretakers."

"There is no need. My minions are already examining it. If the Chaos should in any way disrupt the Crucible, then it shall be eradicated."

"The Chaos is not inherently disruptive or destructive Demiurge," said Albedo. "As you would know well. It is merely a conduit through which our creators extend their will."

 _Is it like that?_ Momonga thought. It's just their home base, something exclusive to [Ainz Ooal Gown]. Almost impenetrable, due to its nature, but it was nothing that special.

"...I see that every Guardian has given their report," Albedo continued, after taking a look around.

 _Guardian? There was something like that_? A bewildered Momonga could only blink as the NPCs talked on and on about things he didn't know. He'd never paid much attention to Nazarick's inner workings, being too focused on the gameplay outside the world. He'd only been to each of the player-made rooms once. Whenever he logged into the base, he only ever stayed here, at the Heart.

But somehow, these two were Guardians of their rooms, and Albedo was their Overseer. And apparently the other NPCs who were here before were just subordinates to these.

"You are forgetting one more, Overseer," said the butler.

"Shalltear. Bloodfallen. Has yet. To Report," said Cocytus.

"Yeah, where is that vampire?" asked Aura.

"Ah, I'd near forgotten about her," said Albedo, in a tone that suggested the complete opposite. She smiled. "Well then, her tardiness is sure to reflect poorly upon her motivation to serve our dear master. Mayhap she is not as devoted as us?"

"N-no, that would be going too far Albedo," Momonga said hastily. He didn't want that possibility, that the NPCs would be hostile or disloyal. "I believe in all of you-the creations of my comrades. I do not believe anyone is less motivated to work for-for Nazarick than anyone else."

There was a silence, followed by shouts and cries.

"Ooooh!"

"Such benevolence-!"

"I am overwhelmed by your magnificence, milord! Such peerless mercy and wisdom!"

"Truly one suited to be Supreme above All, Greatest of the Supreme Beings!" cried Albedo, her cheeks positively flushed.

"Yes, yes," Momonga said. "Demiurge, please locate Shalltear."

"As you wish." The devil disappeared, leaving Momonga with a bunch of kowtowing "Guardians". And Albedo.

He recalled that there were other "rooms" in Nazarick. But somehow, those didn't have Guardians, of a sort. Well, there was the Treasure Room, the space he'd created personally to house the guild's acquisitions, and which also had a powerful NPC to guard it. But it perhaps didn't qualify as a Guardian, since it didn't report, and none of the NPCs were looking for it. The Room was home to hundreds of planets, a few stars, and millions of captured ships, each inert and ready to be staffed. Further inside were the "Dark" items, artifacts considered stronger than the [Immateria Paradox] and which had strange powers over the game universe of [Legend of Ouroboros].

And yet even the Treasure Room had not been that important. There had been no system of "Guardians"-all NPCs were expected to fight to the death to protect the [Immateria Paradox] located in the Heart, which was just a couple of "rooms" away from the entrance to Nazarick. There had been no defined hierarchy; indeed all the guildmembers just made whichever and whatever they wanted, and their creations were meant to be nothing but dioramas at the least.

A player raid was laughable. Their enemies had to use special methods to breach the barrier to their sub-dimension; and then, assuming the guild members were somehow asleep, had to fight through a long stretch of treacherous, ship-warping dimension, all the while harassed by the NPCs, before they could even reach the Heart. The few times that was tried, only one had succeeded in breaching the Heart, and that was when the guild had been mostly offline.

Demiurge reappeared, looking ruffled. "Milord! Everyone, there has been an incident at the Entrance! Shalltear's there trying to hold it off-but she might need our aid!"

Panic set in Momonga's mind. Right as he was reminiscing about player raids, another one was forming! _How the heck could he counter it? He was all alone!_

"All Guardians," he shouted, "Go!"

He arrived at the Entrance first. The NPCs materialized around him as he gazed at the sight of Shalltear in front of the Entrance, which was currently wide open.

"Milord Momonga!" the pale, beautiful and diminutive girl yelped, turning around and bowing. "It is all under control! I do not sense any sign of the enemy!"

"What has happened?" Albedo demanded.

Momonga could plain see for himself the Entrance-or the Vortex, as some in the guild had taken to call it-open, allowing him to glimpse the space outside the twisting multicolor of Nazarick. He gasped at the sight of distant stars, of planets floating right before them in the endless void. He shuddered, because everything looked more realistic than [Legend of Ouroboros] had ever conceived.

"What authorized you to open the Entrance?" Albedo said. His attention returned to the NPCs gathered around Shalltear Bloodfallen. If he remembered correctly, this one was not assigned to the entrance at all; she had a room assigned her by his friend Peroroncino. Still, to ask her now would probably highlight his ignorance, and he didn't want to appear so before the NPCs.

Shalltear glanced at him. "I was simply passing by this sector on my way back," she said frantically. "I did not open it milord, please believe me! The Entrance only opened by itself."

"Such lies," said Demiurge. "The Chaos cannot be breached from outside, at least not without a determined Player on the other side."

Momonga opened his jaws. "But perhaps there is," he intoned, drawing every NPC's attention. His gaze looked out-upon closer look, there seemed to be entire fleets stationed around the planets close to the Entrance. It would not be farfetched to have a Player in there commanding-although there were no indicators, like the usual display over enemy and friendlies like in the game.

"A-an enemy attack? We must summon the others!" said Mare.

"The Legions. Are Prepared. To Defend. To the Last!" said Cocytus.

"Command us, milord," said the butler; the maids behind him nodded.

He hesitated, because an idle thought came to him: was this, then, just an extension by the game developers-was he still inside the game after all? "Strange..." he couldn't help but say.

"Indeed it is, milord," said Demiurge. "And stranger still for you lot to even consider those lowly things proper 'Players'. I can assure you that Momonga-sama has not jumped to the same lazy conclusions."

"What?"

"So they're not players?"

"He did not say that," said Albedo serenely. "And surely Momonga-sama did not imply that either. The Players may have breached the Entrance, but my love-excuse me, milord Momonga's superior sight has already judged them not to be within the vicinity. Perhaps they fled before the splendor of Nazarick, or feared our lord's reprisal."

It took a moment for everyone to get it, including Momonga.

"Ah..."

"As expected of the wise Momonga-sama, Supremest of All."

"To think we would leap to the worst conclusions so quickly..."

Demiurge chuckled, while Albedo just shook her head.

"B-but," this voice came from Mare, who pointed out of the Entrance. "If it is not an enemy, what is that?"

Indeed, there was something white streaming out from the planets and the ships, coursing like a mass of a million, white snakes. Momonga watched their procession as they slowly came up to the Entrance.

"Data clouds," he said, recognizing the sight. They were the source of "experience" among players of both paths: they helped one level up one's monstrous form or add veterancy to the crew of one's fleet. They could be acquired in a hundred different ways.

But why was it appearing here? And why were they coming for the Entrance?

And why was it white? Data clouds came in different colors, mainly to differentiate their source. It helped to determine if that stray monstrous Player just hanging out near a star was actively sucking out its energy (golden) or was just studying it, as part of its class (blue); thereby helping others determine to PK it to prevent a system from dying, or just leave it alone. White usually meant a quest reward, like a broadcast from a thankful civilization-

-Or willing sacrifices, from a different type of civilization.

As Momonga mulled that over, Demiurge snorted. "Those inferior creatures are perhaps awed by the appearance of this great Entrance to our master's Realm. They have enacted a great sacrifice, perhaps to appease our lord. Fitting, but that is perhaps poor fare."

"No, I shall allow it," Momonga said. No matter how small, experience was experience.

The others were surprised.

"But milord, such a mediocre feast would be insulting for one such as you!" Aura protested.

"Please allow us a few more moments to let these inferiors know to sacrifice their all to you!" said Albedo.

"Are you all questioning my will?" said Momonga, unnerved by their vehemence.

Everyone's eyes widened. They bowed, each stammering apologies.

Momonga watched the data cloud approach, then immediately make a beeline for him.

They passed through the vortex-and then they rebounded right off his frame.

The cloud swirled before him, like a confused mass of eels.

"A-as we thought," said the butler. "They are indeed not fit for Momonga-sama's consumption."

"Shalltear!" Demiurge snapped.

"Why me?" protested the girl.

"You're the star vampire!" hissed Aura, tugging on her clothes. "Get those things out from Lord Momonga's sight before he gets angrier still!"

Groaning, the star vampire stretched her hands, and the whole mass of white came streaking for her. They all went inside her mouth, and after a few moments, had all disappeared.

Shalltear made a disgusted noise at the back of her throat. "I can't believe you made me drink that."

"Did you swallow it all?" asked Albedo.

 _So it wasn't a data cloud_? Momonga wondered. He looked back at the planets, and saw nothing else happen. It looked like it was time for a test.

"Everyone, I shall be heading out," he said.

"Allow us to accompany you," said the butler.

"It's fine," said Momonga. "I shall only be out for a while." The NPCs stood to the side. But when he wanted to pass through the vortex, nothing happened. He bumped his head, he tried to force his way out-but the doorway denied him access, like an overweight cat trying to pass through the slits of a door.

"...It appears I cannot leave," said Momonga. "How about you guys?"

The NPCs looked at each other uneasily. "Momonga-sama, our settings prevent us from leaving this place," said Albedo. "We are bound here, by the will of the Supreme..."

"I allow it," said Momonga, a little impatiently.

Once more, the NPCs glanced among themselves. Eventually, the butler said, "Yuri Alpha, please go."

A glass-wearing maid stepped out from formation, bowed, and went to the vortex. Momonga watched with anticipation, then disappointment as she was unable to pass through, like there was an invisible wall.

"All of you, try," Momonga demanded.

One by one, the others tried, and failed to leave the entrance. They all shot him looks of apologies and regret, gathered before him, after the butler, whose name was apparently Sebas Tian, was the last to try-and failed.

 _So I can't leave the game, the NPCs also can't, and I'm stuck as a metallic skull dwarfing Jupiter. Oh, and the game's also become real, somehow._

"...Can we acquire a planet...?" Momonga said, with trembling voice. That would be the last test-to see if it was an actual planet; not just a spheroid bunch of pixels. If he could not, if there was nothing here but be stuck in this hell, then Momonga would believe he was in an actual hell.

"I believe we can," said Demiurge. "We can widen the scope of this area, so that the Entrance pushes out towards that area. Then we can examine the planets and the fleets at our leisure."

"Do it," said Albedo, her eyes on Momonga. To Momonga, she said, "Patience, please, Great Kind Momonga. Please do not tire of us, please do not leave." She went to her knees before him; the others, save Demiurge, following suit.

"Leave...?" Momonga said faintly.

"Please do not abandon us, now, as our other Masters have," said Albedo.

"Kind. Master," said Cocytus.

"Great master," said Sebas.

"Oh Peerless Being, Worthy of All," said Shalltear.

"Greatest above all," said the twins.

"And the one I love," said Albedo.

"Milord!" shouted Demiurge, interrupting the moment. "I have achieved it! I have here a planet! There are a few more we can grab, so everyone, help!" Everyone scrambled to comply.

Momonga considered the large planet laid before him. It was riddled with shining cities, even visible from afar. He activated certain sensors, magnifying his sight, and saw billions of humanoid shapes, lying dead. Though they looked vaguely human, he knew no human had ever had architecture, or technology like what he saw. They were far too advanced, perhaps belonging more to something out of a sci-fi series (though Momonga never was into that).

"Uwaaah," said Aura, holding another planet in hand.

"The fools seemed to have actually sacrificed themselves," said Albedo. "Pathetic. And all they could produce was not even fit for Lord Momonga!"

"Their ships are of interesting design," said Demiurge, holding one in the palm of his hand.

"Sleek. Designed. For. Maximum. Maneuver," said Cocytus.

"Demiurge," said Momonga. With this, his fears of being stuck in the game was false, at least for now. There had been no way to execute such detail. Much of the game's graphics had been reserved for traveling in outer space and PvP combat. A planet's race and other details were just pictures and words of text-and here before him was something far more advanced than that. There was nothing to replicate the magnified image of literal rivers of blood and mountains of bodies piled up; it would break the systems' server. "You have given me great hope. You have my deepest gratitude."

"I am deeply honored, milord," said Demiurge. "It is my greatest pleasure to be of even the smallest use."

"No, you have been of greater use than that," said Momonga.

Demiurge took a deep, choking breath. "Thank you!"

"...Albedo, why are you frowning?" Momonga asked. The woman shook her head, then gave him a smile.

"It is nothing, milord. I am just glad you're feeling better now."

* * *

Momonga's present goals were then simple, and he hoped the NPCs would follow without question. He wanted to prove that the outer universe outside was not just a very elaborate simulation. For this, he could accomplish it by hoping to find "Earth". Earth had existed in the game, however it was a utopia far superior to his own reality. No monster dared to assault Earth or the Solar System, for one, it would earn almost every player's enmity; another reason was the sheer defenses the developers gave to the planet, which could only be theoretically surpassed by a thousand Players working together.

If he could find Earth, determine what state it was in, then it would go a long way. For example, it would be quite chilling if he were confronted with his Earth, the one he left as Suzuki Satoru; and even more so if he could induce Nazarick to be able to influence, or grab the planet.

Even discovering that Earth was not present would still reassure him-to an extent.

Obviously, Suzuki Satoru had less than a mite's knowledge of real astronomy, though he could memorize all of the space-lanes and the locations of every known star and sector in [Legend of Ouroboros] he'd been to.

That lack of knowledge led him to the Infernal Orrery. Here he could already see that the locations of all the stars and systems visualized therein had changed from what he usually expected to see.

"So the Entrance points to here," said Momonga, looking at a spot on the 3-D map. Because there was no data, or perhaps because this was an entirely new universe, everything was labeled in ?. Back in the game, there had been instances of that, with much of the galaxy still left unexplored by [Ainz Ooal Gown].

"Then where is Earth..." he said. The Infernal Orrery had a special ability that could peer into any celestial body at any distance, but only if he knew where to point it. Casting out blindly just to find Earth was meaningless, and would likely take a long time. In the past, the Orrery had been used to plan out strikes on known space, sectors the Guild had already explored. He wanted to see if that restriction was still there.

"Lord Momonga..." A whispering voice alerted him to Nigredo, the protector of the Orrery. "My skills with the Orrery are superior to anyone here," the long-haired woman continued. "If you wish, I can help you with whatever it is you need. With the proper specifications, I can locate any category of planet, star, or even any type of life."

 _Could the Orrery even accomplish that?_ Nonetheless-"Humans," he said promptly.

The woman went over to a console at the bottom, with which she began to interface. "Earth, was it? The Orrery can even track specific lifeform signatures-fortunately, there are records of the various races milords had encountered..." After a few moments, she continued. "Category: humans. Here it is. These are the systems where the Orrery has detected similar signatures."

A disturbing number of green lights began to appear all over the map, scattered over the stars like a smear of ink. He found it nauseating. But it proved what the Orrery could do.

"Ah, my apologies," said Nigredo, in a surprised voice. "I did not think they would be this many."

"That's alright," said Momonga. For now he could just test himself. He activated the Orrery's tech, noted a spot on the map, then pointed the vision there.

The Chaos seemed to crackle around them. Ignoring that, Momonga watched as the the Orrery zoomed in on the star system, then into the specific planet where the signal originated.

At first glance, it was a world covered in green-forests perhaps. Then he made a closer look and saw dense jungles as far as the eye could see. He swept his vision this way and that for any human settlement, and saw a rudimentary one, looking like it was made from the remnants of a spacecraft. And then he saw the humans.

It was strangely disconcerting, to see real humans, watching them through a strange technology from the point of view of a gigantic, metallic skull. It made him feel as if his past life had been nothing but a dream.

"Milord, do you need to take the planet for study?" asked Nigredo.

"Hm? It can be done?"

"The Orrery offers near-infinite possibilities milord. It has always been an honor to be assigned to such a wondrous feat of technology by milord Tabula Smaragdina. Should you wish it, the Orrery can open a small Entrance through which we can acquire anything that catches your fancy."

Momonga sure didn't remember it that way. The Orrery was always just for surveillance. "... Perhaps later. I only need to look for Earth for now."

"As you wish."

He tested several other planets, and saw the same thing: humans living out in remote planets, apparently eking out a bare-bones existence. Some of them even had different appearances and traits, some uniformly tall and wiry, others short and muscular. And in none of the planets did he find something like Earth-the Earth of this galaxy.

Because he was sure now that this wasn't his reality-the humans had apparently gotten around in these other stars by flying there on space crafts-the Earth he was supposed to wake up to hadn't even broken lightspeed yet.

There must be a source, thought Momonga. Their "Earth". Was it still there, or was it already destroyed? "Nigredo," he said. "Eliminate those signatures living on a system without this exact sequence of planets from their star..."

With that criteria, the green spots were narrowed down to only a dozen. He only hoped the humans were still there-there was a chance that no signature would be there. Momonga looked around, and chose a planet on a certain spot displayed on the Orrery.

The instant he saw Jupiter, his nonexistent heart raced. This was it. This was it! And the sun in the distance-this was his target!

His vision zoomed past, past the asteroids belt, past Mars-which had some structures on it-then on to Earth.

His eyes almost misted up at the sight. Earth the blue-green sphere. Earth, now bristling with flying ships and tall, atmosphere-reaching buildings. Earth, looking as polluted as it had been, but far more advanced. His vision traveled all over, looking at the familiar sights of people walking in enclosed domes, riding strange contraptions, being surrounded by a multitude of unfamiliar tech. In that instant he felt alienated, almost as if he was literally the floating superweapon of a dead race.

Then he saw it. The presence, the verve, was unmistakable. Even without the UI, he could sense it stand out, as others had done so in the past. His vision was drawn to it, like a moth to the flame.

A Player.

The signature came from underground. He ordered the Orrery's sight even deeper.

"Milord, it seems the inhabitants are aware of our scrying," said Nigredo, yet Momonga thoroughly ignored her.

There.

The man stood, before a darkly lit, vault-like room filled with a number of glowing pods. He was clad in golden, ornate armor, with a presence unmistakable. He supposed if the UI were here there would be a name above the man. The Player was not on his ship, but if he had been transported here before Momonga, then it could stand to reason that he would have been able to affect Earth like so-max-level players were equipped with a host of technology that was needed to vanquish ultra-powerful monsters like him.

He must establish communications. He had to know what was going on. So thinking, he went right up to the Player's face.

The Player's eyes shifted, then hardened. It had seen him. Then his eyes glowed.

"Milord!" cried Nigredo. "The Player is attacking the Orrery!"

"Mm!" Momonga grunted, his vision momentarily blinded by the sudden attack. _How dare he? And here he was just trying to be nice and offer an exchange of communication!_ Already he could sense the pangs of an attack strike him-this was most likely a PSI attack from a Player with access to that type of mutation, who blasted foes not with conventional weapons, but with the arcane powers of their minds.

 _Stop,_ he wanted to say. _I come in peace._ But the attack did not relent-it was as if there was now a link between Momonga and the other Player, a battle of psychic wills, impossible to break.

"I've come, sister-" Someone gasped. "Guardians, to me! Our lord requires aid!"

He felt the presences of the other NPCs near him, but he could offer no word for them; so bound was he to the mental struggle, something he had not ever experienced in all the time of his playing the game.

"He is driving the Chaos back," said the smooth voice of Demiurge. "What's more, he is fighting our lord on an equal basis. A remarkable feat, but then again, this is a Player."

"N-No time to think, it's an enemy!" cried Mare.

"Insolent fool! To think you would dare challenge the might of the Supreme Being!" cried Shalltear.

"Demiurge! This is your specialty. Drown the inferior being in Chaos!" Albedo commanded.

"I am unfamiliar with the technologies of the Infernal Orrery-but, perhaps I can do this." Then, the vision surrounding Momonga seemed to thicken, the multi-colored clouds strengthening in shape and hue.

"Aid me!" said Demiurge. "Lend your powers to the assault, so we can sever the connection to milord!"

Every NPC, including Nigredo, shouted agreement. The sight of the golden-armored man began to twist and shimmer, as the Chaos flooded the chamber he was in. Then, like an abrupt interruption of a radio signal, the connection was cut. A grand explosion occurred, all the NPCs thrown back by the sheer force of the backlash. Momonga grunted, feeling the pangs of a headache coming into his head.

The sight of the fallen NPCs woke him from his daze. The NPCs, the creations of his former comrades, the reminders that, once, there had been [Ainz Ooal Gown], that he had once been human. A rage filled him then, irrational and hotter than a thousand galaxies. For the first time since he'd arrived in this strange place, his avatar's character was one with Suzuki Satoru.

 _I shall extinguish all Light._

He eyed the Infernal Orrery, at the dot where Earth should be. The Chaos moved at his command, ready to strike again, drown the system in his rage, perhaps burn the whole thing to the ground, so nothing remained but celestial ash.

Then, the NPCs stood, one by one. The sight made him pause, his fury dimming. They were alright-they weren't dead. As everyone eventually rose, recovered, Momonga calmed down enough for the anger to lower further-simmering under the surface like magma.

"Everyone, I am glad to see you safe," said Momonga. Though he still could not forgive that Player.

"What-what exactly happened, milord?" asked Aura, rubbing her head.

Momonga's sight flickered to the location of Earth on the Orrery. He made the Orrery zoom in to that place. "There is a Player on that world. For his sin against you, against me, against the Crawling Chaos of Nazarick... That Player must be made to taste defeat. Humiliate him. Drown his thoughts in sorrow and blood. Make him regret this moment, when he challenged the Chaos of [Ainz Ooal Gown]. This we must all do now, for the glory of [Ainz Ooal Gown]!"

A great cheer erupted.

"For [Ainz Ooal Gown]!"

"To Momonga be the glory!"

"Praise the Supreme!"

To the Player they shouted, like humans looking down on an ant:

"War. There Can Only Be War," said Cocytus.

"Indeed," said Sebas.

"A-a p-pox on him and his worlds!" said Mare.

"That goes without saying," said Aura, slapping his shoulder.

"May he look back on this day, and shudder at the powers he had unwittingly unleashed," said Demiurge, his lips curling.

"He and his forces are only toys, dancing at the palm of our Master," Shalltear said, smiling.

"Let us pile the skulls of his servants, as a fitting tribute to the Lord and Master," Albedo said breathily.

 _...And then, of course, after, I'll apologize and discuss this strange matter with him, one Player to another. After all, we are both normal human beings._

He thought to voice that out loud, but, looking at his happy NPCs, perhaps that didn't need to be said.

* * *

 **Shurpuff says: As mentioned in my production notes of _Godsfall,_ this is one of my ideas I'd written up, a crossover with an obvious, familiar franchise. But, as I said in the notes, continuing this would be difficult, because of the sheer depth I have to consider with the crossover. And I, as someone with only a water pail's worth of knowledge compared to the sea I'd need to digest, found it difficult to write. Perhaps a better writer, one who is more familiar with the setting might be able to tackle the colossus.  
**

 **And so, I leave this as complete, a one-shot.**

 **As always, comments welcome.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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